"Hmph. You're lucky that I trust you," Kei huffed. "So how are we gonna do this?"
Instead of uttering a response, Kiyotaka simply walked inside, with the two girls following him.
They weren't the only ones from their class who were at the library. Yukimura, Horikita, and Kushida's study groups were also there, all sitting at different tables while studying in their own way.
Kiyotaka led his two classmates to a smaller table and placed his bag on top of it. Kei and Airi followed suit, before they sat down and waited for what their companion would do.
"Why don't you two get acquainted with each other while I prepare everything we need? I just need to pick out a few reference books for you to read. Fortunately, there's only two of you, so I won't take long."
Airi quickly froze at the thought of being left alone with Kei, while the blonde girl just shrugged. She had nothing else to do here other than read some books and answer questions, so she might as well talk to the other person who'll be studying with her.
As Kiyotaka walked away to get some books, Kei shifted her attention to the other girl that was with them. She immediately took notice of how the red-haired girl was nervous, most likely because of her presence.
"She's shy, huh?" Kei decided to take a careful approach with this, knowing what could happen if she talks in her usual demeanor. "So... you're Sakura, right?"
Airi was surprised that Kei knew who she was. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes..."
The blonde offered her a kind smile. "Well, in case you didn't know, my name's Karuizawa Kei. You can use my first name to make things easier. Nice to meetcha!"
"I-I-I couldn't!" Airi squeaked, waving her hands before her while shaking her head.
"Okay, chill out. It doesn't really matter which of the two you use. It's just a name, no big deal," she pointed out. "Who do you sit next to again?"
"I sit... next to Sudo-kun..."
"Oh," Karuizawa blinked. That meant Sakura sat at the very last row of the classroom. "Ah, I'm sorry for not remembering. I typically remember the names of the rest of the girls, but I don't really remember you. I just heard of you from Hirata-kun... wait, don't take that the wrong way! I'm not saying you're not worth remembering at all! It's just that you're like a ghost that I can't tell if you're there or not. No offense."
"Shhhhh!" a student from a nearby table spoke up, prompting Kei to cover her mouth, realizing just now that she had raised her voice.
Sakura still looked nervous, but managed to get something out of her mouth. "I-It's alright, Karuizawa-san. I understand why you feel that way. I... p-prefer things to be like that, actually. I d-don't want... to b-be deadweight in other people's eyes."
"Hold on, you shouldn't talk about yourself that way! Why are you thinking like that?" she whispered this time, not wanting to attract any more attention from the people around them.
"Well... b-because... I get r-really n-nervous and scared when I-I'm with o-other people..." the redhead admitted, averting her gaze to the side in embarrassment.
Kei raised an eyebrow at her. "You say that, but you're acting pretty fine while you're around me."
"That's because... w-we'll be seeing each other more often, w-won't we?" asked Airi, taking a quick glance at her classmate. "I need to... get used to this..."
"That's not a good enough reason," Kei shook her head in disappointment. "Okay, I see where this is going, so I'll be honest with you. I don't like how you're all stuttering and nervous like a cartoon character. You should be more confident in yourself and I think you can do it, so I'll help you."
"W-W-What...?"
"You didn't get it? I'll help you get over this stuttering problem you have."
Airi blinked a few times, as if she was having a hard time processing what she just heard. When she finally understood what Kei had just said, her eyes widened as her face turned red
"E-Ehhh?! Y-Y-You don't have to do that for me, Karuizawa-san!"
Kei only smirked. "Well, I want to. Plus, I think that stuttering is gonna be annoying every time I talk to you. You should learn how to be more confident in yourself, otherwise you're gonna have a hard time surviving here for three years."
"I-I-I..." Airi stuttered, unsure of what to say to her in return.
"You two are getting along. That's good," Kiyotaka's voice cut through their conversation, causing the two girls to turn towards him. The young man had returned to their table with several books, one for each of their subjects. "However, your little conversation has to be cut off for now. It's time to get to work. We'll only be here for three hours, so let's make every second count."
Kei simply huffed in response, while Airi took a deep breath to calm herself.
It was going to be a long three hours, it seems.
~XoX~
If someone had told him before that he would somewhat enjoy being a tutor, then Kiyotaka would say that person is crazy to even think so. However, after a few days of spending time at the library after class, Kiyotaka could honestly admit that this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.
Don't get him wrong, the whole arrangement still meant a deduction in his precious rest hours but at the very least, it was being put to good use. Helping two of his classmates was a good enough reason to stick around for a bit, even if they were his 'heroines'.
Speaking of which, if he had to give his opinion on the two students he had been teaching for several days now, it's that they were both suffering from different strengths, and weaknesses.
It was now Friday, and the two had just finished a little mock test that Kiyotaka prepared for them last night. It was a very simple and short test that they finished in thirty minutes, after which their companion began to check their work.
Once he was done checking both of their answers, Kiyotaka looked up to face the two girls, having different expressions on their features. Kei tried to look serious but underneath it was a doubtful expression while Airi's nervousness could be seen right from the get-go.
"You two are making progress, especially you, Karuizawa. However, I do see that your weak point is Science. The technical terms, in particular."
"Don't remind me," she huffed, looking away. She didn't really understand why there were things like 'scientific names' when science itself was already complicated enough. Not to mention, the harder terms that were quite a step-up from elementary science...
"Sakura, in your case, you're still struggling with almost everything. Your biggest problem would be Mathematics, though. You can point out the numbers that were given, but become lost in the formulas when you apply them."
"I'm sorry..." she bowed her head in shame. "I just get so confused with all these numbers... I have no idea what to do when I see a lot of them..."
Kiyotaka only nodded. "That's understandable. But I'll do my best to help you get through this. You can still improve if you put your mind into it."
With that, he returned their test papers.
"I've corrected every wrong answer you made in your test and wrote an explanation why. Review those carefully and think back on what you answered."
"You're acting like you're going somewhere. Are we done?" asked Kei, raising an eyebrow at him.
He stood up and gathered the books that he borrowed from the library. "Not yet. We're simply finished with what these books have to offer. I'll pick out some new ones and we'll go through a little bit of them before I end it for today."
The blonde girl was surprised. "Wait, really? We're just reaching two hours, and you normally do this for three."
"That's true, but it's the end of the week, is it not? I don't want to be too hard on the two of you, so I'll let you have an early rest today as well as the weekend to take it easy. Plus, I feel tired as well. I'd like to rest a lot earlier today because being a tutor isn't an easy job."
Airi nodded, understanding why Kiyotaka would feel tired. Of course, teaching someone like her would take its toll on him. On the other hand, Kei smirked. She obviously had something else in mind about all this.
"If you ask me, you have it easier compared to Kushida-san and the other tutors. They have to teach four or five people while you only have to deal with us," she teased.
"Trust me, I know that. But Hirata was the one who wanted me to do this," he answered calmly. "In any case, I trust that you two won't forget about everything you learned this week. It would disappoint me if my efforts were put to waste."
The two nodded, knowing that this was for their sake as well. Especially Airi, who was one of the seven people that failed in the last test. She knew that nothing was going to save her in the next one aside from her own abilities. She was struggling to learn, yes, but she's also pushing herself to be better.
"Looks like we're in agreement. I'll be back in a bit."
After picking up the books, he walked away to return them to their appropriate shelves. His destination didn't take him far from their table.
Kiyotaka took a glance at his two heroines who were engaged in another conversation about who knows-what. He was at a safe distance and far from being noticed, so Kei can't possibly accuse him for something inappropriate now.
"I never thought those two would become friends, but it's not like there's something wrong with that," he thought as he returned a Math book to its original shelf. "Having someone like Karuizawa on her side would build her confidence, because I'm not the right person to help her with that."
He also felt thankful that nothing drastic happened while he was with them for the whole week. Aside from a few increase in Affection Points for both girls and a budding friendship beginning to form between them, there was nothing else that caught his attention.
But since he had no notification of a 'special event' being completed until now, something might happen down the line while he's acting as their tutor.
After returning the books they used, Kiyotaka was about to search for new ones when he heard a familiar voice nearby.
"That's it! I can't take it anymore!"
"What do you mean, Ike-kun?"
Kiyotaka couldn't recognize the first voice, but he definitely knew who the second one was.
"That's definitely Kushida... is she having trouble with the boys in her group?"
He knew that Ike and Yamauchi were part of Kushida's group and from what he's seen of them, it wouldn't be surprising if they stir up trouble while they were studying together. In fact, it was quite obvious that those two only joined so they could have a chance at being closer to Kushida.
"If she's only hiding behind a mask, then I wonder what she truly feels about two boys constantly chasing after her like a pack of dogs in heat," Kiyotaka thought.
He put that idea at the back of his mind for now. It would be an interesting question to ask her if she ever drops the facade.
His curiosity getting the better of him, Kiyotaka walked towards the table where the students under Kikyo's group had gathered. Of course, he stayed behind the cover of the library shelves as he didn't want them to see him.
Yamauchi and Ike had stood up from the table while grabbing their bags, surprising Kushida, Shinohara, Sato, Ishikura, and Maezono who were all in the midst of studying.
"You'll have to forgive me, Kushida-chan. But I just can't do this anymore..." Ike spoke, shaking his head while openly crying, feeling as if he was betraying the feelings of his one true love.
"Yeah... this just isn't worth it. I feel my brain's about to explode any moment..." Yamauchi sighed while massaging his temples.
"But we need to do this! Both of you failed the last test that Chabashira-sensei gave us, right? We need to study so you can pass our midterm tests," Kikyo argued in an attempt to convince their minds.
Ike suddenly recovered from his crying fit, as though he wasn't shedding tears in the first place. "Eh, not a problem. I can just cram all of this in my head the day before the midterms. It'll be fine, Kushida-chan!"
Yamauchi flashed a smug look. "You haven't seen what I can really do, Kushida-chan! I was only holding back in that test. Truth is, I could have gotten a perfect score in it if I really wanted to! I just chose not to because it would have been a waste of effort, since it wasn't even recorded."
The other girls at the table looked at them in disgust. They're the ones who are quitting on studying together, yet they're still trying to make moves on Kikyo? These two have to be desperate by now.
Shinohara merely rolled her eyes. She wasn't fond of studying herself, but she knew what was at stake. Right now, she was in need of something to drink, and wasn't in the mood for this.
"Get your asses back in your seats, would you? We have to do this, whether you like it or not."
"Maybe for you, Ugly-hara. But I have other important things to do than staying here," Ike mocked.
A tick mark appeared on the bluenette's head. She was about to stand up to teach Ike a lesson, but was held back by Sato, Ishikura, and Maezono. "You damn pervert..." she growled.
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Kikyo still tried to look positive despite what's happening. "Come on, you guys... let's just go back to studying. We need to pass the midterms so we can get back the points we lost this month! Don't you want to get 100,000 points again?"
"See you tomorrow, Kushida-chan. You can still call me if you feel like hanging out, though!"
Ignoring the girl's plea like it was nothing, the two boys walked away from the table and didn't look back, leaving their female classmates in shock. They were the ones who willingly joined the study group... and yet they were also the ones who gave up in the midst of it all.
Kiyotaka could only stare at what happened with a blank face.
"Hmph. You're lucky that I trust you," Kei huffed. "So how are we gonna do this?"
Instead of uttering a response, Kiyotaka simply walked inside, with the two girls following him.
They weren't the only ones from their class who were at the library. Yukimura, Horikita, and Kushida's study groups were also there, all sitting at different tables while studying in their own way.
Kiyotaka led his two classmates to a smaller table and placed his bag on top of it. Kei and Airi followed suit, before they sat down and waited for what their companion would do.
"Why don't you two get acquainted with each other while I prepare everything we need? I just need to pick out a few reference books for you to read. Fortunately, there's only two of you, so I won't take long."
Airi quickly froze at the thought of being left alone with Kei, while the blonde girl just shrugged. She had nothing else to do here other than read some books and answer questions, so she might as well talk to the other person who'll be studying with her.
As Kiyotaka walked away to get some books, Kei shifted her attention to the other girl that was with them. She immediately took notice of how the red-haired girl was nervous, most likely because of her presence.
"She's shy, huh?" Kei decided to take a careful approach with this, knowing what could happen if she talks in her usual demeanor. "So... you're Sakura, right?"
Airi was surprised that Kei knew who she was. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes..."
The blonde offered her a kind smile. "Well, in case you didn't know, my name's Karuizawa Kei. You can use my first name to make things easier. Nice to meetcha!"
"I-I-I couldn't!" Airi squeaked, waving her hands before her while shaking her head.
"Okay, chill out. It doesn't really matter which of the two you use. It's just a name, no big deal," she pointed out. "Who do you sit next to again?"
"I sit... next to Sudo-kun..."
"Oh," Karuizawa blinked. That meant Sakura sat at the very last row of the classroom. "Ah, I'm sorry for not remembering. I typically remember the names of the rest of the girls, but I don't really remember you. I just heard of you from Hirata-kun... wait, don't take that the wrong way! I'm not saying you're not worth remembering at all! It's just that you're like a ghost that I can't tell if you're there or not. No offense."
"Shhhhh!" a student from a nearby table spoke up, prompting Kei to cover her mouth, realizing just now that she had raised her voice.
Sakura still looked nervous, but managed to get something out of her mouth. "I-It's alright, Karuizawa-san. I understand why you feel that way. I... p-prefer things to be like that, actually. I d-don't want... to b-be deadweight in other people's eyes."
"Hold on, you shouldn't talk about yourself that way! Why are you thinking like that?" she whispered this time, not wanting to attract any more attention from the people around them.
"Well... b-because... I get r-really n-nervous and scared when I-I'm with o-other people..." the redhead admitted, averting her gaze to the side in embarrassment.
Kei raised an eyebrow at her. "You say that, but you're acting pretty fine while you're around me."
"That's because... w-we'll be seeing each other more often, w-won't we?" asked Airi, taking a quick glance at her classmate. "I need to... get used to this..."
"That's not a good enough reason," Kei shook her head in disappointment. "Okay, I see where this is going, so I'll be honest with you. I don't like how you're all stuttering and nervous like a cartoon character. You should be more confident in yourself and I think you can do it, so I'll help you."
"W-W-What...?"
"You didn't get it? I'll help you get over this stuttering problem you have."
Airi blinked a few times, as if she was having a hard time processing what she just heard. When she finally understood what Kei had just said, her eyes widened as her face turned red
"E-Ehhh?! Y-Y-You don't have to do that for me, Karuizawa-san!"
Kei only smirked. "Well, I want to. Plus, I think that stuttering is gonna be annoying every time I talk to you. You should learn how to be more confident in yourself, otherwise you're gonna have a hard time surviving here for three years."
"I-I-I..." Airi stuttered, unsure of what to say to her in return.
"You two are getting along. That's good," Kiyotaka's voice cut through their conversation, causing the two girls to turn towards him. The young man had returned to their table with several books, one for each of their subjects. "However, your little conversation has to be cut off for now. It's time to get to work. We'll only be here for three hours, so let's make every second count."
Kei simply huffed in response, while Airi took a deep breath to calm herself.
It was going to be a long three hours, it seems.
~XoX~
If someone had told him before that he would somewhat enjoy being a tutor, then Kiyotaka would say that person is crazy to even think so. However, after a few days of spending time at the library after class, Kiyotaka could honestly admit that this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.
Don't get him wrong, the whole arrangement still meant a deduction in his precious rest hours but at the very least, it was being put to good use. Helping two of his classmates was a good enough reason to stick around for a bit, even if they were his 'heroines'.
Speaking of which, if he had to give his opinion on the two students he had been teaching for several days now, it's that they were both suffering from different strengths, and weaknesses.
It was now Friday, and the two had just finished a little mock test that Kiyotaka prepared for them last night. It was a very simple and short test that they finished in thirty minutes, after which their companion began to check their work.
Once he was done checking both of their answers, Kiyotaka looked up to face the two girls, having different expressions on their features. Kei tried to look serious but underneath it was a doubtful expression while Airi's nervousness could be seen right from the get-go.
"You two are making progress, especially you, Karuizawa. However, I do see that your weak point is Science. The technical terms, in particular."
"Don't remind me," she huffed, looking away. She didn't really understand why there were things like 'scientific names' when science itself was already complicated enough. Not to mention, the harder terms that were quite a step-up from elementary science...
"Sakura, in your case, you're still struggling with almost everything. Your biggest problem would be Mathematics, though. You can point out the numbers that were given, but become lost in the formulas when you apply them."
"I'm sorry..." she bowed her head in shame. "I just get so confused with all these numbers... I have no idea what to do when I see a lot of them..."
Kiyotaka only nodded. "That's understandable. But I'll do my best to help you get through this. You can still improve if you put your mind into it."
With that, he returned their test papers.
"I've corrected every wrong answer you made in your test and wrote an explanation why. Review those carefully and think back on what you answered."
"You're acting like you're going somewhere. Are we done?" asked Kei, raising an eyebrow at him.
He stood up and gathered the books that he borrowed from the library. "Not yet. We're simply finished with what these books have to offer. I'll pick out some new ones and we'll go through a little bit of them before I end it for today."
The blonde girl was surprised. "Wait, really? We're just reaching two hours, and you normally do this for three."
"That's true, but it's the end of the week, is it not? I don't want to be too hard on the two of you, so I'll let you have an early rest today as well as the weekend to take it easy. Plus, I feel tired as well. I'd like to rest a lot earlier today because being a tutor isn't an easy job."
Airi nodded, understanding why Kiyotaka would feel tired. Of course, teaching someone like her would take its toll on him. On the other hand, Kei smirked. She obviously had something else in mind about all this.
"If you ask me, you have it easier compared to Kushida-san and the other tutors. They have to teach four or five people while you only have to deal with us," she teased.
"Trust me, I know that. But Hirata was the one who wanted me to do this," he answered calmly. "In any case, I trust that you two won't forget about everything you learned this week. It would disappoint me if my efforts were put to waste."
The two nodded, knowing that this was for their sake as well. Especially Airi, who was one of the seven people that failed in the last test. She knew that nothing was going to save her in the next one aside from her own abilities. She was struggling to learn, yes, but she's also pushing herself to be better.
"Looks like we're in agreement. I'll be back in a bit."
After picking up the books, he walked away to return them to their appropriate shelves. His destination didn't take him far from their table.
Kiyotaka took a glance at his two heroines who were engaged in another conversation about who knows-what. He was at a safe distance and far from being noticed, so Kei can't possibly accuse him for something inappropriate now.
"I never thought those two would become friends, but it's not like there's something wrong with that," he thought as he returned a Math book to its original shelf. "Having someone like Karuizawa on her side would build her confidence, because I'm not the right person to help her with that."
He also felt thankful that nothing drastic happened while he was with them for the whole week. Aside from a few increase in Affection Points for both girls and a budding friendship beginning to form between them, there was nothing else that caught his attention.
But since he had no notification of a 'special event' being completed until now, something might happen down the line while he's acting as their tutor.
After returning the books they used, Kiyotaka was about to search for new ones when he heard a familiar voice nearby.
"That's it! I can't take it anymore!"
"What do you mean, Ike-kun?"
Kiyotaka couldn't recognize the first voice, but he definitely knew who the second one was.
"That's definitely Kushida... is she having trouble with the boys in her group?"
He knew that Ike and Yamauchi were part of Kushida's group and from what he's seen of them, it wouldn't be surprising if they stir up trouble while they were studying together. In fact, it was quite obvious that those two only joined so they could have a chance at being closer to Kushida.
"If she's only hiding behind a mask, then I wonder what she truly feels about two boys constantly chasing after her like a pack of dogs in heat," Kiyotaka thought.
He put that idea at the back of his mind for now. It would be an interesting question to ask her if she ever drops the facade.
His curiosity getting the better of him, Kiyotaka walked towards the table where the students under Kikyo's group had gathered. Of course, he stayed behind the cover of the library shelves as he didn't want them to see him.
Yamauchi and Ike had stood up from the table while grabbing their bags, surprising Kushida, Shinohara, Sato, Ishikura, and Maezono who were all in the midst of studying.
"You'll have to forgive me, Kushida-chan. But I just can't do this anymore..." Ike spoke, shaking his head while openly crying, feeling as if he was betraying the feelings of his one true love.
"Yeah... this just isn't worth it. I feel my brain's about to explode any moment..." Yamauchi sighed while massaging his temples.
"But we need to do this! Both of you failed the last test that Chabashira-sensei gave us, right? We need to study so you can pass our midterm tests," Kikyo argued in an attempt to convince their minds.
Ike suddenly recovered from his crying fit, as though he wasn't shedding tears in the first place. "Eh, not a problem. I can just cram all of this in my head the day before the midterms. It'll be fine, Kushida-chan!"
Yamauchi flashed a smug look. "You haven't seen what I can really do, Kushida-chan! I was only holding back in that test. Truth is, I could have gotten a perfect score in it if I really wanted to! I just chose not to because it would have been a waste of effort, since it wasn't even recorded."
The other girls at the table looked at them in disgust. They're the ones who are quitting on studying together, yet they're still trying to make moves on Kikyo? These two have to be desperate by now.
Shinohara merely rolled her eyes. She wasn't fond of studying herself, but she knew what was at stake. Right now, she was in need of something to drink, and wasn't in the mood for this.
"Get your asses back in your seats, would you? We have to do this, whether you like it or not."
"Maybe for you, Ugly-hara. But I have other important things to do than staying here," Ike mocked.
A tick mark appeared on the bluenette's head. She was about to stand up to teach Ike a lesson, but was held back by Sato, Ishikura, and Maezono. "You damn pervert..." she growled.
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Kikyo still tried to look positive despite what's happening. "Come on, you guys... let's just go back to studying. We need to pass the midterms so we can get back the points we lost this month! Don't you want to get 100,000 points again?"
"See you tomorrow, Kushida-chan. You can still call me if you feel like hanging out, though!"
Ignoring the girl's plea like it was nothing, the two boys walked away from the table and didn't look back, leaving their female classmates in shock. They were the ones who willingly joined the study group... and yet they were also the ones who gave up in the midst of it all.
Kiyotaka could only stare at what happened with a blank face.
